The greatest movie ever!

One of my all time favorites.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The film takes place circa 1951 and centers on Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) a film producer for Capitol Films. He is faced with a number of issues which he must solve while trying to give up smoking. His main headache is Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) the star of his epic film "Hail Caesar." He has been kidnapped and ransomed by a communist cell during film production. Meanwhile he he forced to miscast cowboy star Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) who can't act in a societal comedy/drama.The feature spoofs the gloss and crap that came from that era as films had a monopoly on entertainment. We see a Carmen Miranda type (Veronica Osorio), Channing Tatum dancing like Gene Kelly in "Anchors Away"; Scarlett Johansson as Esther Williams in "Million Dollar Mermaid" and George Clooney plays a Richard Burton type in "The Robe." Hobie Doyle was a generic singing cowboy with a "Gabby Hayes" sidekick.The Coen film holds some enjoyment for those familiar with the era. There were some good exchanges such as the theological debate and Jonah Hill taking about being a professional person-hood. It comically shows the Hollywood 10 black listed doing unorthodox things. The main problem with this feature is that it is a Coen Brothers film, so the bar has been set Raising Arizona high. If this was a new director/writer they would be hailed as genius.Guide: No F-words, sex, or nudity.

The premise for 'Hail, Caesar!' sounds more "meta" than it is - a film studio in the 1950's making a Roman/Jesus epic called 'Hail Caesar' and starring Whitlock (Clooney), the biggest Hollywood star. The film works as a tribute to classic movie-making, with Brolin playing Mannix, the head of "Capitol Studios", trying to keep his sometime wayward stars in check.The film nails the choreography and massive scale the soundstages had, especially with Johansson's mermaid scene and Tatum's tap-dancing sailor scene. Surprise - he can also sing! Probably the funniest moment is new guy Doyle (Ehrenreich)'s cowboy scene and stunts. Unfortunately, there's no real plot other than Clooney getting kidnapped by kind Communists - doesn't really go anywhere.Fiennes, Johansson, Hill, Tatum & McDormand all don't have enough screen time. The score is good and there's some jokes, although most of them are more like a sly wink to the audience - definitely not the Coen's best work! The score's good and Clooney and Tatum both ham it up, but I definitely felt underwhelmed afterwards.

This Coen Brothers' movie has a lot of detractors but I found it quite funny, as various stereotypes from the twilight of Hollywood's Golden Age deal with personal problems (usually involving 'vices'), production problems (trying to wrap a mega-budget "Sword and Sandal" epic) and the Communist scourge (including a dog named "Engels"). Interspersed are satires of the era's great flamboyant excesses (including an Ester Williams style water-ballet, a Gene Kelly style song and dance routine, and an over-the-top singing-cowboy Western). These 'films-within-film" are (IMO) the best part of "Hail, Caesar", although I found the thin 'plot' tying it all together to be entertaining as well. I would have thought that the film would be great fun for any movie buff, but judging by the IMDb reviews, my enthusiasm is far from universally shared. Worth starting anyway - you'll likely decide which camp you're in pretty quickly (but I recommend that you stay long enough for the 'Swinging Dinghy' musical number).

The Coen Brother's star-studded film, Hail, Caesar! jumps into the backseat with golden-age Hollywood, but fails to measure up to its inspiration. The plot jumps around a lot, and really seems to just be an excuse for the directors to shoot multiple scenes reminiscent of older films (Ben Hur, The Robe, Anchors Away, Ricky Nelson films, etc.). There are many funny moments, but there is little cohesion to them, and it is easy to get lost. With an all-star cast, including Jonah Hill, George Clooney, Channing Tatum, and Scarlett Johansson, it would've been nice to see more well- rounded characters. Channing Tatum's character seems to have only been included to prove that Channing Tatum can sing. In fact, most of the characters seem to contribute little to the plot at all. All this being said, the movie is fun. It is light hearted and enjoyable. The plot may have more detours than a cross-country drive, but each detour has a charm all its own. Best advice: don't worry about the plot, just enjoy each scene for what it is.